Rote Jäger
Encyclopedia
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(August 1943 – November 1944). The team was assembled by Hermann Graf
Hermann Graf
Colonel Hermann Graf was a German Luftwaffe World War II fighter ace. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. He served on both the Eastern and Western Fronts...
, a fighter ace and commander of German fighter pilots. Based near Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, the unit developed into a refuge from service on the Eastern front for some German national team
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
players.
History
Unlike some other military teams, such as Luftwaffen-SV HamburgLuftwaffen-SV Hamburg
Luftwaffen-SV Hamburg was a short-lived military German association football club active during World War II and is notable as the most successful of the wartime military sides.-Military sports clubs:...
, the side did not participate in regular German league play or take part in national championship play, but instead staged a series of exhibition matches in Germany, as well as a few in Hungary, Alsace (France), and Poland.
The genesis of the team was in a challenge made by an elite Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n army side to Graf, who managed the German military side in the country. Graf trained with Germany's national side before the war and he decided to contact his former coach, Sepp Herberger, who – to the surprise of the Romanians – brought along several members of the side to take part in the match, which the Germans won 3:2 in front of 40,000 in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
.
By 1943, Graf had decided to act to save as many of the national team's players as he could from frontline service, attaching them to his unit – the Luftlandebrigade 26 (en: 26th Airborne Brigade) – as "technical experts". Among those who played for the Jäger was Fritz Walter
Fritz Walter
Friedrich "Fritz" Walter was a German footballer. In his time with the German national team, he won 61 caps and scored 33 goals.-Early club career:...
who would go onto to fame with 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
and earn 61 caps with Germany. He wrote the book 11 Rote Jäger about his experiences.
German military clubs were disbanded in September 1944 as Allied armies began their advance into the country. Still, the Rote Jäger managed to play two more games in Krakau
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
in November 1944, the last of these in front of 20,000 German soldiers.
Postwar re-establishment
A successor side was established 21 May 1965 by the Luftlandebrigade 26 of the German Army with the support of former players of the original side. The new Rote Jäger, based in ZweibrückenZweibrücken
Zweibrücken is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach river.- Name :Zweibrücken appears in Latin texts as Geminus Pons and Bipontum, in French texts as Deux-Ponts. The name derives from Middle High German Zweinbrücken...
, debuted in a friendly match versus then Bundesliga side 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
(0:2). The club played as a demonstration side and in armed forces competition, drawing its players from recruits doing military service. Recognizable names who donned the club's jersey during their service terms before going on to professional careers and national team appearances include Felix Magath
Felix Magath
Wolfgang-Felix Magath is a former German football central midfielder and current manager of VfL Wolfsburg.-Playing career:...
, Wolfgang Seel
Wolfgang Seel
Wolfgang Seel is a retired German football player. He spent 12 seasons in the Bundesliga with 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Fortuna Düsseldorf and 1. FC Saarbrücken...
, Heinz Simmet
Heinz Simmet
Heinz Simmet is a retired German football player. He played 419 games in the Bundesliga.-Honours:* Bundesliga winner: 1978.* Bundesliga 2nd place: 1973.* DFB-Pokal winner: 1968, 1977, 1978.* DFB-Pokal finalist: 1970, 1971, 1973....
, and Andreas Brehme
Andreas Brehme
Andreas "Andy" Brehme is a German football coach and former football defender. He is best known for scoring the winning goal for Germany in the 1990 FIFA World Cup Final against Argentina on a 85th minute penalty kick....
. The club was disbanded in October 1991.
The squad (1943-45)
- Walter Bammes - forward SpVgg Fürth
- Hermann EppenhoffHermann EppenhoffHermann Eppenhoff was a German football player and manager.- Career :The forward was a member of FC Schalke 04 squad, which won the German Championship in the years 1939, 1940 and 1942...
- forward FC Schalke 04FC Schalke 04Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major... - Karl Flinner - goalkeeper SV WilhelmshavenSV WilhelmshavenSV Wilhelmshaven is a German association football club from Wilhelmshaven, Lower Saxony.-History:Predecessor side SpVgg Wilhelmshaven was formed as FC Comet in 1905 and was quickly re-named FC Deutschland Wilhelmshaven...
- Hermann GrafHermann GrafColonel Hermann Graf was a German Luftwaffe World War II fighter ace. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. He served on both the Eastern and Western Fronts...
- goalkeeper - Gredel - midfielder MannheimMannheimMannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
- Friedrich Hack - midfielder TSV 1860 MünchenTSV 1860 MünchenTurn- und Sportverein München von 1860, commonly known as TSV 1860 München or 1860 Munich, is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. The club's football team plays in the Second Bundesliga, after relegation from the Bundesliga following the 2003–04 season...
- Franz Hanreiter - forward Admira Wien
- Josef (Sepp) HerbergerSepp HerbergerJosef "Sepp" Herberger was a German football player and manager...
- coach German national teamGermany national football teamThe Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900.... - Karlheinz Höger - goalkeeper Hamburger SVHamburger SVHamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
, SV Dessau 05SV Dessau 05SV Dessau 05 is a German association football club based in Dessau, Saxony-Anhalt. They distinguished themselves in 1949 as winners of the inaugural FDGB-Pokal .-History:... - Humpert - midfielder Sportfreunde Dresden
- Bruno Klaffke - midfielder Duisburger FV
- Siegfried "Friedel" Klagges - defender Wattenscheid 09
- Hermann Koch - defender TSV Schwaben AugsburgTSV Schwaben AugsburgTSV Schwaben Augsburg is a German football club which is part of a larger sports association whose origins go back to the 1847 formation of the gymnastics club Turnverein Augsburg...
- Köhler - goalkeeper HanauHanauHanau is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt am Main. Its station is a major railway junction.- Geography :...
- Richard Leonhard - forward SC Planitz
- Alfons Moog - midfielder VfL Köln 99VfL Köln 99VfL Köln was a German association football club from the city of Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club was formed out of the pre-war merger of Kölner Club für Rasenspiele and Kölner Sportclub 1899, through which it lays claim to being the city's oldest football club.-History:Following the union...
- Wilhelm Thiele - goalkeeper OrPo Chemnitz
- Fritz WalterFritz WalterFriedrich "Fritz" Walter was a German footballer. In his time with the German national team, he won 61 caps and scored 33 goals.-Early club career:...
- forward 1. FC Kaiserslautern1. FC Kaiserslautern1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900... - Walter Zwickhofer - defender FC Schalke 04FC Schalke 04Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...